October Baby has successful Top 10 opening

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- The faith-based film "October Baby" finished in the Top 10 on its opening weekend despite playing in only 390 theaters, and did even better on a per-theater average.

The movie, which tells the story of a young woman who learns she is the survivor of a failed abortion, grossed $1.7 million in limited release, good enough for a No. 3 finish ($4,352) on a per-theater average. Provident Films, which marketed the film to faith audiences, watches a film's per-theater average more than it does a movie's total gross, because the stat levels the playing field. Not counting October Baby, the Top 10 total gross films opened in an average of 2,500 theaters. October Baby opened in one-fifth as many.

Kris Fuhr, vice president of theatrical marketing for Provident Films -- which marketed the film to the faith audience -- told Baptist Press that anything with an average of $3,000 or more is considered successful. (Read a Q&A with Fuhr at http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37468).

Inspired by a true story, October Baby chronicles a young woman's search for the truth about her past.

There are no stats on abortion survivors, but October Baby's Jon Erwin, who directed and produced the movie with his brother Andrew, told Baptist Press earlier this year that there are more than many people would think.

Erwin has received emails from as far away as Africa with people telling them they were abortion survivors.

The story itself was inspired by Gianna Jessen, whose story is among the first that pops up when the phrase "abortion survivor" is Googled.